Dumpster Diving

Well, sort of...

This weekend is Austin's biggest City Wide Garage Sale of the year!! If you have never attended, it takes place about 9 times a year at the Palmer Events Center. It is open Saturday and Sunday and is $5 for adults and free for kids under 12.

Not everything is second hand or antiques. A lot of the vendors sell collectible and vintage items--even fishing lures. It is a great place to find unique Christmas presents!

The link for more info is: CWGS

If you don't live in Austin (boo!), you can still go hunting for garage sales in your city. Keep an eye out on Craig's List for big ones. A lot of times local churches will do large garage sales that are fun to attend.

Remember...one man's trash is another man's treasure! Happy Hunting!

Do It With Your Friends

Work out with your friends for a natural high! We all know that working out releases endorphins that make us happy, but working out with friends can amply these results and keep you from feeling weary or bored during your work out!

Not only is it easier to drag yourself to the gym when you know a friend is meeting you there, but it will also help you work out longer and harder. You can chat about work or any other gossip that takes your mind off of how hard your body is working. Walking at a pace that is still comfortable to hold a conversation is healthy for your heart. It also takes the pressure off of going to a gym class alone.

If going to a gym isn't your thing, there are plenty of other ways to work out with buddies. You can run around a track, go hiking, get together to do videos in your living room or join some type of boot camp or recreational group. Remember that something as simple as throwing around a frisbee can get your heart rate up and burn calories!

Start a competition with your friends to see who can lose the most inches or pounds. It's a friendly challenge that can help motive you both to work out!

Comment with ideas that you have for fun ways to work out.

Balls of Fun!

Batters up! Head out to the batting cages for a swingin' time. I have been frequenting batting cages here in Austin to practice for the rec softball team I joined. For a buck you get 20 balls and they provide the bat. Some batting cages you pay per half hour, but they generally aren't that expensive. You can research to find one near you. Keep in mind that they usually go hand-in- hand with parks that include arcades, rock climbing, put put golf and race cars. Visiting the batting cages can be a fun outing for a date or something you can even do by yourself.

Be prepared to be a little sore the next day if you aren't a regular ball player. Remember to keep your eye on the ball!

Trailer Park Heaven

Stands aren't just for snow cones anymore. Now you can get frozen bananas, cake balls, gourmet pudding, cupcakes, crepes and tacos at the trailer park eateries in Austin, Texas.

One of the best gourmet restaurants in Austin, Hudson's on the Bend, has opened a trailer (Mighty Cone) on Congress that serves up it's famous food for under ten bucks!

Eating dinner from an array of food trailers set up around Austin is a great way to enjoy a beautiful afternoon or laid back date. One of the best parts of going to a fair is the food and now Austin is giving you the fair food any time you want it.

So be brave and experiment with a meal from an airstream. Leave comments with other yummy food trailers in your city!

Straight Road Trippin', Boo!

Yep, ROAD TRIP!!! Whether you are going 5 hours or 5 days, a road trip can be a fun way to get away with out spending a ton of cash. We all remember road trips with our family that seemed endless, but with a group of friends we can be talking about a whole different ball game!

Use an atlas or one of the links below to plan your road trip. Pick your final destination and then plot your path or even better just wing it—pick a road and take it! Along the road trip, you can sleep in hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, with family or even campgrounds.

Don't forget to stop and look at all the random things along the way--historical markers, dive restaurants and tourist attractions, like the world’s largest ball of twine, that you wouldn't get to enjoy if you just hopped on a plane. You will have to break up the drive and that becomes half the fun.

When the conversation dies down and you need to stay awake, make sure to play different car games, like finding road signs with every letter of the alphabet, looking for every state license plate, twenty questions and memory games.

Also, make sure to stock your car with a cooler full of drinks and lots of good road trip snacks. Some of my favorites are jerky, twizzlers, corn nuts and M&M’s.

Follow this link for a free personalized road trip planner. You select your origination

and destination points and the site does the rest. FREE TRIP

This site has links to oddball attractions and each state page: ROADSIDE AMERICA